Ulrich I, Lord of Hanau ( – late 1305 or early 1306) was the ruling Lord of Hanau from 1281 until his death.
Birth
Ulrich I was the eldest son of Reinhard I and his wife Adelaide, who was a sister of Ulrich II, the last Count of Hagen-Münzenberg. He was named after his maternal grandfather, and was the first member of the Hanau family named Ulrich.
The date, or even the year of his birth, is unknown. He is first mentioned in a document dated 1272. From 1275, he appears in deeds next to his father, from 1276, he also appears alone. From 1277, he is mentioned regularly in documents relating to Hanau. This would suggest, he must have been born around 1255-1260.
Reign
Ulrich I inherited the Lordship of Hanau when his father died in 1281. During his reign, he was able to extend his territory considerably.
Ulrich acted as a regent for Count Louis of Rieneck-Rothfels. In 1298, he purchased a future interest in the fief that Louis held from Mainz. He probably also acted as regent for his nephews Reinhard and Henry of Weinsberg.
Münzenberg inheritance
Via his mother, Ulrich inherited a 1/6 share of the rich Münzenberg inheritance. His inheritance included a 1/6 share of Münzenberg Castle and the district of Münzenberg, Assenheim, Heuchelheim, Dudenhofen, Münster, Werlachen, Hayn Castle and Dreieich Forest. His mother had brought the district of Babenhausen, including part of the Bachgau and half of Groß-Umstadt into his parents' marriage. Furthermore, his mother inherited Vilbel and 1/4 of Praunheim. His mother's inheritance came with a number of disputes between the heirs. These disputes, or at least Hanau's rôle in them, were largely settled in 1288.
The inheritance gave the House of Hanau quite a strong economic position. Several properties could be temporarily added under mortgage arrangenments: Ortenberg with its Castle, Birstein Castle, Orb and Besen-Kassel. These possessions connected Hanau to Steinau an der Straße, which had previously been an exclave, and pulled the upper Kinzig valley into Hanau's sphere of influence.
Settling disputes
Ulrich I secured his position through treaties with his neighbors. In 1290, he ended a long-running dispute with the Bishopric of Würzburg and in 1303, he concluded an alliance with Frankfurt, after some violent arguments. In 1304, he joined a coalition headed by Count Palatine Rudolph I of the Rhine.
Territorial losses
Hanau lost control of the Bachgau area during Ulrich I's reign. Reinhard I had ceded this area to Mainz in 1278. After Archbishop Werner of Eppstein had died, King Rudolph had terminated the fiefs Bachgau and Seligenstat Abbey and handed the administration of these possessions to Ulrich I. In 1292, King Adolph of Nassau promised the Bachgau to the Archbishop, probably as a reward for his vote when Adolf was elected King. Ulrich I ignored this promise, which led to a feud between Ulrich I and Archbishop Gerhard II of Eppstein. Ulrich I was defeated militarily and imprisoned in Bingen. He was released a short time later, however, he had to cede most of the Bachgau. He only retained the villages of Langstadt, Schlierbach and Schaafheim and some scattered rights.
For a short period, he pledged parts of his Münzenberg inheritance to the Lords of Falkenstein, who also held a share in the inheritance. Initially he pledged his share of the towns of Münzenberg and Assenheim. In 1303, he also pledged the Jews in those towns and in Nidda, whom the King had pledged to him. He presumably needed the money to participate in a campaign of King Albert I of Germany against the Archbishop of Mainz in 1301/1302. After he repaid the long, a long ownership dispute about these possessions with Lords of Falkenstein began.